The following link directs one to a short biography of the Sayadaw, transcribed discourses, including:- The Way to Ultimate Calm: Selected Discourses of Webu Sayadaw- The Essential Practice - Part 1- The Essential Practice - Part 2- To Light a Fire- Dhamma Discourse

Also here you will find a 10-minute collection of video clips and a slideshow of photos featuring Ven. Webu Sayadaw.

I have always found Venerable Webu Sayadaw's advice invaluable in my practice:

(1) One can only expect the fulfillment of one's aspirations if one is perfect in morality.

(2) When practicing generosity (dana) in the religion of the Buddha, the mental attitude and volition involved are very important.

(3) Believing in the law of kamma, one should always act with an upright mind.

(4) One should not aspire to any happiness of either the human or celestial worlds — which are impermanent — but only to Nibbana.

(5) Because of the arising of the Buddha we have the opportunity to practice right conduct (carana) and wisdom (pañña) fully and thereby to benefit greatly.

(6) From the moment we are born to the moment we die, there is the in-breath and the out-breath. This is easy for everybody to understand. Every time we breathe in or out, the breath touches near the nostrils. Every time it touches we should be aware of it.

(7) While we are walking, working, doing anything, we should always be aware of the in-breath and the out-breath.

Some years ago, I bought a copy of 'Way to Ultimate Calm' and found the Sayadaw's discourses to have a certain earthiness about them. Very basic but very inspiring. The Sayadaw didn't know very much Pali and didn't seem, from my estimation, to be familiar with the Abhidhamma. What he did have was a depth of bhavana-maya-panna.

It must have been incredible to be at the International Meditation Centre in Rangoon in the 1950s when he visited and gave discourses.

There are some additional biographical anecdotes given in John Coleman's 'The Quiet Mind' and in U Ko Lay's 'Manual of Vipassana Meditation' which details meetings with the Sayadaw. Metta

Ben

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.

We very fortunate to be born within a period of the Buddha Sasana where the noble Ariya Sangha still exist within our lifetime and where we know the path of liberation is still open to those who persevere. His teachings were for lay people to listen and practice there and then and hence the beautiful simplicity of it all. However, in the age of information overload, our minds are so openly scattered and proliferated, and so sometimes the most simplest advice is so hard to do - 'note the sensation of the in-out breath throughout the day'.

Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion.Aflame, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs ......Seeing thus, the disciple of the Noble One grows disenchanted. SN 35.28

Webu Sayadaw was one of the most reputed monks in Burma (Myanmar) in the 20th century, and many people believe he had attained Arahatship, as is mentioned in this film.

As it says in the title the documentary is an anthology of material by and about Sayadaw, and the compilers have done a good job of assembling rare videos, photos, writings and audio recordings of the great monk.

The material has been organised into several sections, starting with a short biography, describing his own practice and teaching on mindfulness of breathing, people’s personal experience with the teaching and his travels abroad to Sri Lanka and India.

There is also a section, which is a true anthology of material that perhaps didn’t fit in elsewhere, and something about the continuation of the tradition by his disciples.

Throughout the film there seems to be an emphasis of stressing that the teaching fits in with the rather different traditions of U Ba Khin and S N Goenka, and that they were closely connected, and so we see rare photos and footage of these teachers also.

The film was made as a gift for Sayadaw Mandala, who now heads one of the great Sayadaw’s monasteries, and interviews with U Mandala punctuate the film.

The most obvious thing to one and all is the breathing pro-cess. The nose is a prominent part of the body. The out-breathand the in-breath are always touching the nostrils.The nostrils are the sensitive part of the nose which theout-breaths and the in-breaths touch as they come out or go in.In other words, the wind element or element of motion comesinto contact with the nostrils, producing a sensation. Both thewind element and the nostrils are rupa, and it is nåma thatknows the contact or sensation. Ask no one what rupa andnåma are. Be mindful of the nostrils. One knows the sensationof breathing in. One knows the sensation of breathing out.Keep on knowing the in-breath and the out-breath and therewill be no chance for lobha, dosa, and moha (greed, hatred,and ignorance) to arise. The fires of lobha, dosa, and moharemain extinguished and the result is calm and peace of mind.One cannot know the sensation before contact is made.One can no longer know the sensation when the contact hasdisappeared. One must take notice of the actual contact. This iscalled the immediate present.Be mindful of the present continuously. If you can keepon knowing the present for twenty-four hours at a stretch, thegood results will be evident. If you cannot be mindful of whatis taking place at every moment continuously, you will fail tonotice what happens in a ﬂash of lightning and find yourselfon the debit side.

If you are mindful of the contact of the breath on the nos-trils, you will realize that there is only rupa and nama. Besidesrupa and nama, there is no such thing as I, he, or you ! ; there isno self, no man, no woman. You will know for yourself thatthe Buddha's Teaching is the truth, only the truth, nothing butthe truth. You will not need to ask anyone about it. Awarenessof the contact between the wind element and the tip of the noseproduces there and then the knowledge that there is no suchthing as attå ! : ego or soul.

Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion.Aflame, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs ......Seeing thus, the disciple of the Noble One grows disenchanted. SN 35.28

my thanks also to Bhikku Gavesko for linking to that website, my gratitude Bhante

Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion.Aflame, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs ......Seeing thus, the disciple of the Noble One grows disenchanted. SN 35.28

Thanks for additional information about the Goenka lineage. It's good to know more about the history and roots of my practice since here in the USA we don't have easy access to monks, nuns, monasteries and teachers. The internet and availability of countless Buddhist resources is beginning to look like the closest thing we in the 21st century will ever have to our own teacher.

Thanks for the link.I have read many Dhamma talk, but never seen any person giving instructions so confidently like Ven. Webu Sayadaw. His instructions are so simple and attaining Nirvana seems like a child play.